Inspection Support Method, Inspection Support Apparatus, and Inspection Support Program

ABSTRACT

Provided are an inspection support method, inspection support apparatus, and inspection support program that are able to efficiently make an inspection plan for a production facility. The inspection support method is a method on inspection of a gas or petroleum-related production facility, the inspection support method including: receiving registration of producer information on a producer that owns or manages the production facility; receiving registration of production facility information on the production facility; receiving registration of inspector information on each of a plurality of inspector candidates that are candidates to inspect the production facility; acquiring the registered production facility information on the production facility; acquiring the registered inspector candidate information on the inspector candidate; and outputting inspection-related information, containing inspection schedule information on a schedule of inspection of the production facility by the inspector candidate, based on the acquired production facility information and the acquired inspector candidate information.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an inspection support method, aninspection support apparatus, and an inspection support program.

BACKGROUND ART

For example, in production equipment that produces natural gas orpetroleum or production plants that produce chemicals by using gas,pipes and apparatuses through which gas flows are arranged in hugesites. Hereinafter, production equipment and production plants arereferred to as “production facilities”.

Leak of gas in production facilities may lead to, for example,explosion, accelerating global warming, or adversely affecting health.For this reason, inspectors regularly make the rounds in sites andperform an inspection for gas leak in production facilities. Inaddition, an inspection of production facilities is also performed in anemergency, such as in the event of earthquake.

For example, PTL 1 describes a gas leak detection apparatus that detectsa gas leak in an inspection area by using the infrared absorptioncharacteristics of gas.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

PTL 1 WO 2016/143754

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Incidentally, when an order is placed with a specific inspector(including an inspection company) for an inspection of a productionfacility, schedules may conflict between the inspector and a producer (aperson or company that manages (hereinafter, including “owns”) theproduction facility).

Performing an inspection under an unreasonable schedule may lead to adecrease in the quality of inspection, such as missing a gas leak, withthe result that the trust of a producer may be lost. In addition, thereis a problem that a low-quality inspection may not meet the requirementsof laws and regulations on an inspection of a production facility.

Because of coincidence of an increase in petroleum gas production withapplication of more stringent laws and regulations on gas leakinspections and the problem of the aging of inspectors, there alsooccurs a problem that it is difficult to find inspectors having acertain level of skill. Furthermore, because of the aging of productionfacilities, and the like, it is conceivable that subjects of productionfacilities required for inspection and the frequency of inspection (thecount of inspections) increase. Therefore, it is required to efficientlymake inspection plans for production facilities.

When an inspector cannot receive an order for inspection because of aschedule conflict between the inspector and a producer, or when thecount of orders for inspection that an inspector receives because ofirregularities of the time of schedule matching and the time of scheduleconflict is uneven, it is difficult to efficiently make an inspectionplan for a production facility.

In a situation in which the count of inspections of an inspectorincreases, schedule conflicts generally often occur between theinspector and a producer, so there is a problem that it is significantlydifficult to efficiently make an inspection plan for a productionfacility and, by extension, to raise the efficiency of inspection of theproduction facility.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inspectionsupport method, inspection support apparatus, and inspection supportprogram that are able to efficiently make an inspection plan for aproduction facility.

Solution to Problem

An inspection support method according to the present invention is amethod on inspection of a gas or petroleum-related production facility,the inspection support method comprising:

receiving registration of producer information on a producer that ownsor manages the production facility;

receiving registration of production facility information on theproduction facility;

receiving registration of inspector information on each of a pluralityof inspector candidates that are candidates to inspect the productionfacility;

acquiring the registered production facility information on theproduction facility;

acquiring the registered inspector candidate information on theinspector candidate; and

outputting inspection-related information containing inspection scheduleinformation on a schedule of inspection of the production facility bythe inspector candidate, based on the acquired production facilityinformation and the acquired inspector candidate information.

An inspection support apparatus comprises:

a communication section receiving producer information on a producerthat owns or manages a production facility associated with gas orpetroleum, production facility information on the production facility,and inspector candidate information on an inspector candidate that is acandidate to inspect the production facility;

a storage section storing the producer information, the productionfacility information, and the inspector candidate information;

a production facility information acquisition section acquiring theproduction facility information from the storage section;

an inspector candidate information acquisition section acquiring theinspector candidate information from the storage section; and

an inspection-related information output section outputtinginspection-related information, containing inspection scheduleinformation on a schedule of inspection of the production facility bythe inspector candidate, based on the acquired production facilityinformation and the acquired inspector candidate information.

An inspection support program is a program for causing a computer toexecute processes, the processes comprising:

a process of acquiring production facility information on a productionfacility associated with gas or petroleum;

a process of acquiring inspector candidate information on an inspectorcandidate that is a candidate to inspect the production facility; and

a process of outputting inspection-related information, containinginspection schedule information on a schedule of inspection of theproduction facility by the inspector candidate, based on the acquiredproduction facility information and the acquired inspector candidateinformation.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, an inspection plan for a productionfacility is efficiently made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an inspectionsupport system including an inspection support apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of selecting aninspector that performs an inspection of a production facility;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an inspectionsupport system according to a first modification;

FIG. 4 is an appearance view schematically showing the configuration ofthe inspection support system according to the first modification;

FIG. 5A is a view showing an example of a case where a productionfacility and an inspector are displayed on a map;

FIG. 5B is a view showing image capture point positions and imagecapture directions in an area in which a plurality of productionfacilities is arranged;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of outputtinginspection support information for a production facility;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of a process of creating aninspection record from results of an inspection of a productionfacility;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of an inspection report displayed inmap;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a plurality of facilitiesdisplayed in a magnified view on a display screen; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for automaticallymaking an inspection plan.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference toan embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration ofinspection support system 100 including inspection support apparatus 1according to the present embodiment. Inspection support system 100 is asystem that individually provides various pieces of information oninspections of production facilities to a plurality of companies thatown or manage the production facilities and a plurality of inspectors orinspection companies that perform inspections of the productionfacilities. Here, production facilities are petroleum or gas-relatedproduction equipment, in details, production facilities that producenatural gas or petroleum or production facilities that produce chemicalsby using gas, and, more specifically, for example, well facilities andgas piping equipment.

In the present embodiment, companies that manage production facilitiesregister company information and information on the managing productionfacilities in inspection support apparatus 1 by using inspection supportsystem 100. Inspectors or inspection companies register information onthe inspectors or inspection companies in inspection support apparatus 1by using inspection support system 100. Inspection support system 100selects an inspector or an inspection company that satisfies apredetermined condition from among the plurality of registeredinspectors or inspection companies. In the following description,“companies that manage production facilities” are referred to as“producers”. Inspectors or inspection companies are typically referredto as “inspectors”. Inspectors before being selected by inspectionsupport system 100 are particularly referred to as “inspectorcandidates”. Gas leak inspections of production facilities are simplyreferred to as “inspections”.

Inspection support system 100 includes inspection support apparatus 1,producer terminals 2, and inspector candidate terminals 3. Producerterminal 2 is arranged for each producer, and producer terminals 2A, 2Bare respectively arranged for different producers. The same applies toinspector candidate terminal 3, and inspector candidate terminals 3A,3B, 3C are respectively arranged for different inspectors. The number ofproducer terminals 2 and the number of inspector candidate terminals 3,shown in FIG. 1, are illustrative and are present according to thenumber of registered producers and the number of registered inspectors.Alternatively, a plurality of terminals may be arranged for one produceror one inspector.

A communication between inspection support apparatus 1 and each ofproducer terminals 2A, 2B is performed via a network, for example, theInternet (not shown), or the like. A communication between inspectionsupport apparatus 1 and each of inspector candidate terminals 3A, 3B, 3Cis performed via a network, for example, the Internet (not shown), orthe like.

Inspection support apparatus 1 is, for example, a server apparatus, andincludes control section 11, operating section 12, display section 13,communication section 14, and storage section 15. The sections areconnected by a bus.

Control section 11 is made up of a CPU (central processing unit), a RAM(random access memory), and the like. The CPU of control section 11reads out various programs such as a system program and process programsstored in storage section 15, expands the programs on the RAM, andexecutes various processes in accordance with the expanded programs.Control section 11 functions as a production facility informationacquisition section (described later), an inspector candidateinformation acquisition section (described later), an inspection-relatedinformation output section (described later), a past inspectioninformation acquisition section (described later), and an inspectionsupport information output section (described later) by executing thevarious processes. Control section 11, in response to a request toconnect to inspection support apparatus 1 from producer terminal 2A orproducer terminal 2B, determines whether to allow connection based on anID issued for each producer and a connection password and, when aconnection condition is satisfied, allows the connection. Controlsection 11, in response to a request to connect to inspection supportapparatus 1 from inspector terminal 3A or inspector terminal 3B,determines whether to allow connection based on an ID issued for eachinspector and a connection password and, when a connection condition issatisfied, allows the connection. Control section 11 also functions asan authentication section.

Operating section 12 is made up of a keyboard including character inputkeys, numeric input keys, and various function keys, and a pointingdevice, such as a mouse, and outputs a depression signal of a keydepressed with the keyboard and an operating signal with a mouse tocontrol section 11 as input signals.

Display section 13 includes, for example, a monitor, such as an LCD.Display section 13 displays various screens in accordance withinstructions of display signals that are input from control section 11.

Communication section 14 is made up of, for example, a LAN card, or thelike.

Communication section 14, for example, sends or receives data to or froman external device connected to a communication network via a switchinghub.

Storage section 15 is made up of, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive),a semiconductor nonvolatile memory, or the like. Various programs arestored in storage section 15 as described above.

Database 150 is provided in storage section 15.

Database 150 includes production facility information table 151 (whichcorresponds to a “first storage section” of the present invention) thatstores production facility information on production facilities.Information on each production facility is stored as one record inproduction facility information table 151. Information on a productionfacility contains, for example, a location (address, latitude andlongitude), an owning or managing business company (producer), the ageof the facility, a facility scale (area, the type of equipment in thefacility, the number of pieces of equipment, and the like), the statusof operation or non-operation, the inspection time of the productionfacility, and an inspection record (to be added for every inspection).In the following description, past inspection time at which aninspection of a production facility has been completed is referred to asinspection time (past), and scheduled inspection time at which aninspection of a production facility is scheduled to be performed isreferred to as inspection time (future). Inspection time (future)includes not only regular inspection time including legal inspectiontime but also desired inspection time at which a producer optionallydesires an inspection of a production facility. Information on aproduction facility, except for an inspection record, is input viaproducer terminal 2 mainly by a producer and registered in database 150.A location, particularly, the position information of each individualpiece of equipment in a production facility, may be registered indatabase 150 from map information or a past inspection record. Aninspection record is input via an inspector terminal by an inspector andregistered in database 150. An inspector terminal means both inspectorcandidate terminal 3 and inspector terminal 30 (described later).Terminals 3, 30 are the same in terms of terminals that inspection sideshold and also have the same function of an input terminal or an outputterminal.

Database 150 includes inspector candidate information table 152 (whichcorresponds to a “second storage section” of the present invention) thatstores inspector candidate information on inspector candidates.Information on each inspector candidate is stored as one record ininspector candidate information table 152. Information on an inspectorcandidate contains, for example, an inspection company name (the name ofan inspector), a location, company information, an inspection trackrecord, an inspection fee, available inspection time, the number ofinspectors, and the ratings of inspectors. Inspectors may be inspectorsof corporations different from producers or may be inspectors employedby producers (inspectors of inspection departments in corporations).Information on inspector candidates, except for ratings, is input viainspector terminals 3 mainly by inspectors and registered in database150. Input of a rating of an inspector is allowed by a producer, forexample, after a report on inspection results is received. Evaluationitems in rating include whether an inspection has been performed inaccordance with an inspection plan, whether there is any mistake,omission, or the like, in inspection, whether images during inspectionhave been captured without any problem, and the like. In addition,control section 11 may automatically calculate a time taken forinspection, extract a found gas leak and its repair result, and extractthe number of inspections of an inspector from inspection data(including data from the GPS, or the like, of a camera, and video data)that are uploaded from the inspector, and then add them to the rating ofthe inspector. By assigning weights to these evaluation items, controlsection 11 may calculate a rating value based on a predeterminedcalculation expression and use the rating value as a rating.

Database 150 also includes producer information table 153 (whichcorresponds to a “third storage section” of the present invention) thatstores producer information on producers. Information on each produceris stored as one record in producer information table 153. Informationon a producer contains a business company name, an address, contactinformation, and company information. Producer information is input viaproducer terminal 2 mainly by a producer and registered in database 150.

Database 150 also includes inspection-related information table 154(which corresponds to a “fourth storage section” of the presentinvention) that stores inspection-related information on inspections.Information on each inspection is stored as one record ininspection-related information table 154. Information on an inspectioncontains information on an inspection plan (which corresponds to“inspection schedule information” of the present invention), informationon an inspection of a production facility, and information for theinspection of the production facility (inspection support information).

Information on an inspection plan contains, for example, an inspector,inspection time (future), a production facility(s), an inspectionschedule, and an inspection route (the order of production facilities tobe inspected, and the order of individual pieces of equipment to beinspected in each production facility). Information on an inspectionplan may contain information for an inspection (inspection supportinformation).

Information on an inspection of a production facility(s) contains, forexample, information on a subject of inspection, information on settingsof an inspection instrument, and information on an image captureenvironment. Information on a subject of inspection contains, forexample, a production facility serving as a subject of inspection,inspection locations (valves, pipe positions) in the productionfacility, whether there is a gas leak in the past, video data whencaptured with an infrared camera in the past, and the like. Informationon these subjects of inspection is also inspection data. Inspection datacontains, for example, the file name of video data, the storage locationof the video data, an update date, file size, and the like. Video datais stored in, for example, storage section 15. Information on thesettings of an inspection instrument contains, for example, imagecapture point positions, image capture directions, image captureconditions (light exposure, gain, focus, sensor temperature, and thelike), and the like. Information on an image capture environmentcontains, for example, weather, air temperature, humidity, windvelocity, atmospheric pressure, and the like, image capture date andtime, and the like. These pieces of information on an image captureenvironment are also inspection data. These pieces of inspection dataare input via an inspector terminal by an inspector and registered indatabase 150.

Information for an inspection of a production facility (inspectionsupport information) contains, for example, priority inspectionlocations for inspection, inspection subject-related information on aproduction facility, information on the settings of an inspectioninstrument, inspection data in the past, and the like. Inspectionsubject-related information on a production facility contains, forexample, a list of inspection locations in the production facility thatis a subject of inspection, and a map of the production facility fromwhich the inspection locations are found. Information on the settings ofan inspection instrument contains, for example, the image capture pointpositions and image capture directions of a camera for a subject ofinspection.

Database 150 also includes report format-related information table 155that stores report format-related information on a report format.Information on each report format is stored as one record in reportformat-related information table 155. Information on a report formatstores formats for inputting items required to describe the formats of alegal report, inspection report, and repair report.

When production facility information from producer terminal 2 isreceived by communication section 14, control section 11 stores theproduction facility information in production facility information table151. When inspector candidate information from inspector candidateterminal 3 is received by communication section 14, control section 11stores the inspector candidate information in inspector candidateinformation table 152. When producer information from producer terminal2 is received by communication section 14, control section 11 stores theproducer information in producer information table 153.

Control section 11 functions as the inspector candidate informationacquisition section. In other words, control section 11 acquiresinspector candidate information from inspector candidate informationtable 152. Control section 11 also functions as the production facilityinformation acquisition section. In other words, control section 11acquires production facility information from production facilityinformation table 151. Then, control section 11 extracts a record(s) ofwhich available inspection time coincides with the inspection time(future) of a production facility. In other words, control section 11functions as the inspection-related information output section thatselects inspector candidate(s) that satisfies/satisfy a condition thatthe available inspection time coincides with the inspection time fromamong a plurality of inspector candidates as an inspector(s) thatmakes/make an inspection of the production facility. The “coincidence”means that available inspection time and inspection time overlap eachother at least in a time required for inspection.

For example, a plurality of records may be extracted from inspectorcandidate information table 152. That is, a plurality of inspectorcandidates may be selected. In this case, control section 11 maypreferentially select an inspector candidate of which a distance to aproduction facility is near as an inspector. A distance to a productionfacility is, for example, obtained from the site of a productionfacility as production facility-related information and the address ofan inspector candidate as inspector candidate information. In this case,since a production facility of which the above-described inspectorcandidate performs an inspection is near, time and cost that arerequired for travel are reduced, so the time and cost efficiency ofinspection is increased.

For example, an inspection of each of a plurality of productionfacilities that are managed by the same producer may be performed. Inthis case, control section 11 may select the same inspector candidate asan inspector that performs an inspection of a plurality of productionfacilities that are managed by the same producer. Thus, by collectivelymaking an inspection plan in which an inspection of a plurality ofproduction facilities within a certain distance at the same inspectiontime, the efficiency of inspection is increased.

Not limited to this configuration, control section 11 may select thesame inspector candidate as an inspector for an inspection of aplurality of production facilities that are managed by differentproducers. Thus, it is possible to make an inspection plan in which thesame inspector is able to perform an inspection of a plurality ofproduction facilities. When producers individually make a request forinspection, it is difficult to make the above-described inspection plan.In this case, by making the above-described inspection plan, aninspector is able to keep jobs and is also able to efficiently performan inspection of a plurality of production facilities. In addition, asituation in which a schedule of an inspector is occupied by a smallnumber of producers is avoided.

An inspection may be not performed as planned for an inspection planoutput by control section 11. This is, for example, when repair work forgas leak takes time unexpectedly and an inspection has not completed,when a traffic trouble, or the like, has occurred during travel, when aproducer or an inspector suddenly becomes inconvenient, or the like. Insuch cases as well, control section 11 is able to make an inspectionplan again in consideration of inspection time available for aninspector based on the inspector candidate information stored indatabase 150.

Control section 11 may preferentially select an inspector candidatehaving a high rating as an inspector. Thus, a highly capable inspectoris sent for inspection, so a producer is able to maintain the quality ofinspection. An inspector is able to do a job appropriate for the skilland is able to raise motivation for jobs by receiving an appropriaterating. A rating (inspection track record) is obtained based oninformation on an inspector candidate, stored in the inspector candidateinformation table 152 as a record.

Control section 11 may select an inspector based on information on theinspection capability of an inspector candidate. Information on theinspection capability of an inspector candidate is, for example, thenumber of inspections of an inspector candidate or the number of yearsan inspector candidate is engaged in inspection. The number ofinspections of an inspector candidate or the number of years aninspector candidate is engaged in inspection may be regarded as theinspection experience of an inspector candidate. Control section 11 maypreferentially select an inspector candidate having much inspectionexperience as an inspector. If an inspector candidate having lessinspection experience is selected, an inspection plan may be made byestimating a longer time that is taken for the inspector candidatehaving less inspection experience to perform one inspection.Alternatively, control section 11 may preferentially select an inspectorcandidate having experience in inspecting a production facility that isa subject of inspection in the past as an inspector. Alternatively,control section 11 may choose an inspector based on the scale of aproduction facility and the number of inspections of an inspectorcandidate, which is appropriate for the scale. For example, controlsection 11 may select an inspector candidate having rich experience witha large number of inspections as an inspector when the scale of aproduction facility is large, and may select an inspector candidatehaving less experience as an inspector when the scale of a productionfacility is small. For a large-scale production facility, since thereare many inspection locations, an inspection needs to be efficientlyperformed. In such a case, by selecting an inspector candidate havingrich experience, an inspection is efficiently performed without a delayfrom an inspection plan. For education of an inspector, an inspectorcandidate having less experience may be selected.

Alternatively, control section 11 may preferentially select an inspectorthat charges an inexpensive inspection fee. Thus, a burden on a produceris reduced.

As described above, control section 11 preferably outputs information onan inspection plan in consideration of at least one of the place of aproduction facility, the address of an inspector candidate, the ratingof an inspector candidate, information on the inspection capability ofan inspector candidate, and an inspection fee. When an inspectorcandidate is selected by using a plurality of items (conditions), theorder of priority may be assigned to each item. For example, when adistance to a production facility is set for a first priority item andthe number of inspections is set for a second priority item, aninspector candidate(s) within a predetermined distance is/are selected,and an inspector candidate having the greatest number of inspections isselected from among the selected inspector candidate(s).

An inspector candidate may be selected by assigning weights to each itemand ranking inspector candidates based on a total rating value. In thiscase, a plurality of ranks is set for each item. For example, fivepoints are assigned when the distance is near, and a rank value ischanged like four points, . . . , one point as the distance extends.Ranking is performed by setting the order of priority of each item asweights (relatively large weights are assigned to an item having ahigher order of priority) and calculating the sum total of valuesobtained by multiplying rank values by the weights.

Control section 11 also has the function of the inspection-relatedinformation output section for outputting inspection-related informationcontaining the selected inspector. Specifically, control section 11controls communication section 14 such that communication section 14sends an inspection plan for a production facility to producer terminal2 and inspector candidate terminal 3. An inspection plan contains aninspector, inspection time, and a production facility serving as asubject of inspection.

Producer terminal 2 is, for example, a personal computer. Producerterminal 2, as shown in FIG. 1, includes control section 21, operatingsection 22, display section 23, communication section 24, and storagesection 25. The sections are connected by a bus.

Control section 21 is made up of a CPU, a RAM, and the like. The CPU ofcontrol section 21 reads out various programs such as a system programand process programs stored in storage section 25, expands the programson the RAM, and executes various processes in accordance with theexpanded programs.

Control section 21 controls communication section 24 such thatcommunication section 24 sends producer information and productionfacility information to inspection support apparatus 1. Control section21 also controls communication section 24 such that communicationsection 24 receives an inspection plan, video data, inspection data(containing information on a subject of inspection and information on animage capture environment), and a legal report (described later) frominspection support apparatus 1. Thus, a producer is able to check ascheduled inspection of a production facility and an inspected result.

Operating section 22 is made up of a keyboard including character inputkeys, numeric input keys, and various function keys, and a pointingdevice, such as a mouse, and outputs a depression signal of a keydepressed with the keyboard and an operating signal with a mouse tocontrol section 21 as input signals.

Display section 23 includes, for example, a monitor, such as an LCD.Display section 23 displays various screens in accordance withinstructions of display signals that are input from control section 21.

Communication section 24 is made up of, for example, a LAN card, or thelike. Communication section 24, for example, sends or receives data toor from an external device connected to a communication network via aswitching hub.

Storage section 25 is made up of, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive),a semiconductor nonvolatile memory, or the like. A system program, a webbrowser, and the like, are stored in storage section 25 as describedabove.

Inspector candidate terminal 3 is, for example, a personal computer.Inspector candidate terminal 3, as shown in FIG. 1, includes controlsection 31, operating section 32, display section 33, communicationsection 34, and storage section 35. The sections are connected by a bus.

Control section 31 is made up of a CPU, a RAM, and the like. The CPU ofcontrol section 31 reads out various programs such as a system programand process programs stored in storage section 35, expands the programson the RAM, and executes various processes in accordance with theexpanded programs.

Control section 31 controls communication section 34 such thatcommunication section 34 sends inspector candidate information toinspection support apparatus 1. Control section 31 also controlscommunication section 34 such that communication section 34 receivesinspection-related information containing an inspection plan frominspection support apparatus 1. Thus, a producer is able to check ascheduled inspection of a production facility.

Operating section 32 is made up of a keyboard including character inputkeys, numeric input keys, and various function keys, and a pointingdevice, such as a mouse, and outputs a depression signal of a keydepressed with the keyboard and an operating signal with a mouse tocontrol section 31 as input signals.

Display section 33 includes, for example, a monitor, such as an LCD.Display section 33 displays various screens in accordance withinstructions of display signals that are input from control section 31.

Communication section 34 is made up of, for example, a LAN card, or thelike. Communication section 34, for example, sends or receives data toor from an external device connected to a communication network via aswitching hub.

Storage section 35 is made up of, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive),a semiconductor nonvolatile memory, or the like. A system program, a webbrowser, and the like, are stored in storage section 35 as describedabove.

With the above-described configuration, control section 11 selects aninspector candidate that satisfies a certain condition from among aplurality of inspector candidates as an inspector that performs aninspection of a production facility. Thus, an inspection plan (includingan inspector) is made. The efficiency of inspection is increased byperforming an inspection in accordance with an inspection plan.

Next, a process of selecting an inspector that performs an inspection ofa production facility will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2is a flowchart showing an example of the process of selecting aninspector that performs an inspection of a production facility. Thisflow is started, for example, by running a program for creating aninspection plan.

Initially, in step S100, control section 11 acquires production facilityinformation from database 150.

Subsequently, in step S110, control section 11 acquires inspectorcandidate information on one inspector candidate from database 150.

Subsequently, in step S120, control section 11 determines whetherinspection time (future) in the production facility informationcoincides with available inspection time in the inspector candidateinformation. As a result of the determination, when the inspection timecoincides with the available inspection time (YES in step S120), theprocess proceeds to step S130. On the other hand, when the inspectiontime does not coincide with the available inspection time (NO in stepS120), the process proceeds to step S140.

In step S130, control section 11 selects the inspector candidate thatsatisfies the condition that the inspection time coincides with theavailable inspection time as an inspector.

Subsequently, in step S140, control section 11 determines whether thereis the next inspector candidate. As a result of the determination, whenthere is the next inspector candidate (YES in step S140), the processreturns to the upstream of step S110. On the other hand, when there isno next inspector candidate (NO in step S140), the process ends.

With inspection support apparatus 1 according to the above-describedembodiment, control section 11 executes control to acquire productionfacility information on a production facility, acquire inspectorcandidate information on an inspector candidate that is a candidate thatperforms an inspection of the production facility, and outputinspection-related information containing inspection scheduleinformation on a schedule of inspection of the production facility bythe inspector candidate based on the acquired production facilityinformation and inspector candidate information. Thus, it is possible toefficiently make an inspection plan for a production facility. As aresult, an inspector is able to efficiently perform an inspection of aproduction facility.

With the inspection support apparatus 1 according to the above-describedembodiment, control section 11 selects an inspector from among aplurality of inspector candidates by combining two or more functions ofan inspection schedule output section that selects an inspector fromamong a plurality of inspector candidates. Thus, it is possible toselect an inspector appropriate for requests respectively from aproducer and an inspector.

In the above-described embodiment, an inspector of a corporation(inspection company) different from a producer is selected as aninspector that performs an inspection of a production facility; however,the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an inspectoremployed by a producer may be selected. In this case, a producer inputsinformation and acquires output information via producer terminal 2 andinspector candidate terminal 3. Producer terminal 2 and inspectorcandidate terminal 3 may be the same terminal. An inspector employed bya producer may be selected to be dispatched for an inspection of aproduction facility of another producer.

In the above-described embodiment, communication among producer terminal2, inspector candidate terminal 3, and inspection support apparatus 1 isperformed via the Internet; however, the present invention is notlimited thereto. For example, for relatively near communication,communication among producer terminal 2, inspector candidate terminal 3,and inspection support apparatus 1 may be performed in accordance with acommunication mode, for example, Wi-fi (wireless fidelity), NFC (nearfield communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like.

First Modification

Next, inspection support apparatus 1 according to modifications of thepresent embodiment will be described. In the description of inspectionsupport apparatus 1 according to the modifications, components differentfrom those of the above-described embodiment will be mainly described,like reference numerals denote the same components, and the descriptionthereof is omitted.

Inspection support apparatus 1 according to the first modification willbe described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5B. FIG. 3 is a blockdiagram showing the configuration of inspection support system 100according to the first modification. FIG. 4 is an appearance viewschematically showing the configuration of inspection support system 100according to the first modification.

Inspection support system 100 shown in FIG. 3 includes inspectionsupport apparatus 1, producer terminal 2, inspector terminal 30, andcamera 4. Inspector terminal 30 may be the same terminal as inspectorcandidate terminal 3 or may be a terminal different from inspectorcandidate terminal 3. In the case of the first modification, as shown inFIG. 4, inspector terminal 30 is realized by a tablet display terminal.Hereinafter, a system including inspector terminal 30, camera 4, and acable connecting these is referred to as gas monitoring system 200. TheCPU of control section 31 reads out a gas processing program stored instorage section 35, expands the program on the RAM, and executes variousprocesses in accordance with the expanded program.

Camera 4 includes infrared camera 41, visible camera 42, position sensor43, and angle sensor 44.

Infrared camera 41 obtains a captured image (infrared image) in whichleak gas is visualized. Since the configuration of infrared camera 41that is able to visualize gas is known, the description is omitted here.Visible camera 42 obtains a general captured image (visible image) byimaging visible light.

Position sensor 43 is realized by a GPS sensor. Angle sensor 44 isrealized by an acceleration sensor. Since camera 4 includes angle sensor44, camera 4 is able to obtain information of an image capture directionin which camera 4 is imaging. A sensor other than a GPS sensor may beused as position sensor 43, and a sensor other than an accelerationsensor may be used as angle sensor 44. In short, these sensors just needto be able to obtain the image capture point positions and image capturedirections of camera 4.

Control section 31 of inspector terminal 30 has the function of an imageprocessing section that forms an image easy for an inspector to identifya gas leak location by applying image processing to captured imagesobtained by infrared camera 41 and visible camera 42. For example,control section 31 (image processing section) forms a thermaldistribution image (temperature information) based on a captured imagefrom infrared camera 41 and extracts a part looking like gas outflowfrom the image. In addition, control section 31 superimposes the gasoutflow image (also referred to as gas image) on a captured imageobtained by visible camera 42. In this way, control section 31 forms animage easy to see where a gas leak is occurring. The configurationdescribed here is an example of image processing by control section 31(image processing section), and the present invention is not limitedthereto. Control section 31 has the function of a display controlsection that causes display section 33 to display an image subjected toimage processing.

An image subjected to image processing by control section 31 is input tostorage section 35. A captured image from camera 4 is also input tostorage section 35. In addition, position information and an imagecapture direction, obtained by camera 4, are input to storage section35. Furthermore, the position information obtained from camera 4 is sentto inspection support apparatus 1 via communication section 34.

FIG. 5A is a view showing an example of a case where a productionfacility and an inspector are displayed on a map. FIG. 5A simply showsbuildings and pipes in a production facility. As shown in FIG. 5A,control section 31 causes display section 33 of inspector terminal 3 todisplay a map containing a production facility that is a subject ofinspection and to display the position of an inspector on the map basedon the position information of the inspector, acquired from positionsensor 43.

When a map is displayed, the position information of each individualpiece of equipment in a production facility is required; however, notall the position information of each individual piece of equipment isgrasped and input by a producer. Therefore, detailed positioninformation (latitude and longitude) of each of pieces of equipment,such as buildings and pipes, is acquired from map information and storedin database 150. The position information of a piece of equipment can beacquired from an image captured in a past inspection, positioninformation of an inspector, and image capture data (azimuth data,viewing angle, and the like) of the camera.

Control section 11 (see FIG. 1) of inspection support apparatus 1determines whether an inspection of a production facility has beenperformed in the past (whether an inspection is performed again) basedon the production facility information and inspector candidateinformation stored in database 150. Control section 11 has the functionof the past inspection information acquisition section that acquirespast inspection data.

Control section 11 also has the function of an identification sectionthat identifies whether a production facility is a production facilityto be inspected by an inspector in the nearest future based on theposition information of the inspector (position information obtainedfrom camera 4) and the position information of the production facility(position information stored in production facility information table151 or position information extracted from past inspection data(position information from GPS, or the like).

When control section 11 (output control execution section) determinesthat an inspection of a production facility is performed again andidentifies that the production facility is a production facility to beinspected by an inspector in the nearest future, control section 11executes control for outputting inspection support information forsupporting an inspection of the production facility (the function of theinspection support information output section). Thus, inspector supportinformation is sent to inspector terminal 30, and inspector terminal 30acquires the inspector support information. Here, inspection supportinformation contains, for example, information on priority checklocations for an inspection of a production facility (for example,information on past gas leak locations and locations susceptible to gasleak), information on a production facility, information on the settingsof an inspection instrument, and past inspection data for the productionfacility (specifically, the image capture point positions and imagecapture directions of camera 4, and video data).

Control section 31 (display control section) generates a guidance imagethat guides an inspector such that the current image capture pointposition and image capture direction of camera 4 match the past imagecapture point position and image capture direction, and causes displaysection 33 (see FIG. 3) to display the guidance image. Here, a pastimage, a message, a symbol, or the like, may be displayed as theguidance image or the guidance image may be displayed in map.

Next, a guidance image will be described with reference to FIG. 5B. FIG.5B is a view showing image capture point positions and image capturedirections in an area in which a plurality of production facilities isarranged. In the example of FIG. 5B, production facility A, productionfacility B, production facility C, and production facility D arearranged in the area. An inspector moves with gas monitoring system 200and captures imaging subjects by orienting camera 4 in the image capturedirections indicated by the sector forms in the drawing at image capturepoints P1 to P12 in the drawing. These image capture points P1 to P12and image capture directions are determined in advance in considerationof locations where a gas leak is easy to occur, important locations,efficient inspection order, and the like. The inspector captures imagingsubjects at the image capture point positions while making the rounds inorder of image capture points P1→P2→P3→ . . . →P10→P11→P12.

For example, when the inspector approaches image capture point P1 withgas monitoring system 200, the message “NEAR IMAGE CAPTURE POINT P1(PRODUCTION FACILITY A)” is displayed on display section 33 (see FIG.3). Thus, the inspector recognizes that camera 4 is located near imagecapture point P1. Subsequently, when the difference between the positionof the inspector and the image capture point position is substantiallyzero, the message “AT IMAGE CAPTURE POINT P1 (PRODUCTION FACILITY A)” isdisplayed on display section 33. Thus, the inspector recognizes thatcamera 4 is arranged at image capture point P1.

In the case of the first modification, a present image and a past imageare displayed on display section 33. A present image is an image beingcaptured by camera 4 at present. A past image is a captured image storedin inspection-related information table 154 of inspection supportapparatus 1 as past inspection data and sent from inspection supportapparatus 1 to camera 4. A past image may be an image captured duringthe last rounds or may be an image captured during the initial rounds ormay be an image selected by an inspector from among past images. A pastimage may be automatically displayed or may be displayed in response toan inspector's instruction operation.

Next, a process of outputting inspection support information for aproduction facility will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing anexample of the process of outputting inspection support information fora production facility. This flow is started, for example, by running aprogram for acquiring inspection support information. For example, bygiving inspection support information to an inspector at the start ofrounds, the efficiency of inspection is increased.

Initially, in advance of step 200, when the ID and connection passwordof an inspector are input to inspector terminal 30, control section 11allows connection between inspector terminal 30 and inspection supportapparatus 1, and connection between inspector terminal 30 and inspectionsupport apparatus 1 is established.

In step S200, control section 11 acquires the position information ofthe production facility.

Subsequently, in step S210, control section 11 acquires the positioninformation of the inspector.

Subsequently, in step S220, control section 11 determines whether theproduction facility is a production facility to be inspected by theinspector in the nearest future. Specifically, when the position of theinspector is located within a predetermined range from the position ofthe production facility to be inspected, the production facility isdetermined as a production facility to be inspected in the nearestfuture. As a result of the determination, when the production facilityis a production facility to be inspected by the inspector in the nearestfuture (YES in step S220), the process proceeds to step S230. On theother hand, when the production facility is not a production facility tobe inspected by the inspector in the nearest future (NO in step S220),the process proceeds to step S260.

In step S230, control section 11 determines whether the inspection ofthe production facility is a second inspection. Specifically, when pastinspection data is stored in database 150, it is determined as a secondinspection. As a result of the determination, when the inspection of theproduction facility is a second inspection (YES in step S230), theprocess proceeds to step S240. On the other hand, when the inspection ofthe production facility is not a second inspection (NO in step S230),the process proceeds to step S250.

In step S240, control section 11 executes control to output inspectionsupport information. After that, the process in FIG. 6 ends.

In step S250, control section 11 executes control to output inspectionsupport information. After that, the process in FIG. 6 ends. Inspectionsupport information to be output varies between in the case of a secondinspection (YES in step S230) and in the case of not a second inspection(NO in step S230). As inspection support information in the case of nota second inspection, the position of the inspector may be displayed on aproduction facility map as shown in FIG. 5B, or the positions ofsubjects of inspection on the map, an inspection route indicating theorder of inspection of the subjects of inspection, or the like, may bedisplayed. Thus, an inspection is supported. By outputting inspectionsupport information for a facility to be inspected in the nearestfuture, improvement in inspection efficiency and improvement in thequality of inspection are achieved. On that basis, as inspection supportinformation in the case of a second inspection, a past inspection imagemay be displayed next to a present inspection image, and past imagecapture points and conditions may be provided. Thus, improvement ininspection efficiency and improvement in inspection accuracy areachieved. As inspection support information in the case of a secondinspection, inspection support information containing past inspectioninformation is output, so inspection efficiency is further improved, andthe quality of inspection is further improved.

In step S260, control section 11 determines whether the inspection iscomplete. As a result of the determination, when the inspection iscomplete (YES in step S260), the process in FIG. 6 ends. On the otherhand, when the inspection is not complete (NO in step S260), the processreturns to the upstream of step S210.

With the inspection support apparatus 1 in the first modification,inspection-related information table 154 that stores inspection-relatedinformation containing inspection support information for supporting aninspection of a production facility is provided. When an inspection of aproduction facility is performed again and the production facility is aproduction facility to be inspected by the inspector in the nearestfuture, control for outputting inspection support information for theproduction facility is executed. Thus, the quality of inspection of theproduction facility increases and an inspection is easy to be performed,so the efficiency of inspection of the production facility is increased.

In the first modification, camera setting conditions during a pastinspection may be displayed. Thus, imaging under the same conditionsbecomes easy.

In the first modification, whether there is a gas leak in the past or alocation where a gas leak has been detected may be displayed on displaysection 33. Thus, a location where a gas leak has occurred in the pastcan be intensively inspected, so the quality of inspection is increased.

In the first modification, inspector terminal 30 is the terminal thatmakes up gas monitoring system 200. Inspector terminal 30 is not limitedto a tablet display terminal (tablet terminal) and may be, for example,a personal computer (portable type), a mobile type, such as a mobiledevice (such as a smartphone and a touch pad), or a portable-typeterminal. With these devices as well, at least part of the inspectorterminal 30 can be easily made up by a CPU (central processing unit), aRAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory), an HDD (hard diskdrive), an SSD (solid state drive), and the like. The CPU reads out agas processing program stored in the ROM, or the like, expands theprogram on the RAM, and runs the program, thus implementing thefunctions of the sections.

In gas monitoring system 200, camera 4 and inspector terminal 30 areconnected by the cable. Alternatively, camera 4 and inspector terminal30 may be connected wirelessly or camera 4 and inspector terminal 30 maybe integrated. In this case, camera 4, inspector terminal 30, and gasmonitoring system 200 are the same device.

In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the process of step S220, step S230, stepS240, and step S250 is executed by control section 11 of inspectionsupport apparatus 1. Alternatively, the process may be executed bycontrol section 31 of inspector terminal 30. In this case, inspectorterminal 30 issues a request to output information stored in database150 to inspection support apparatus 1, inspector terminal 30 receivesoutput information, and control section 31 executes the process of stepsbased on the output information.

Second Modification

Next, inspection support apparatus 1 according to a second modificationwill be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a viewillustrating an example of a process of creating an inspection recordfrom results of an inspection of a production facility. Here,description will be made on the assumption that a legal report is anexample of an inspection record. The process is executed after resultsof an inspection of a production facility are stored ininspection-related information table 154 via inspector terminal 30.

Control section 11 extracts an inspection record format for inputtingitems required for an inspection record from report format-relatedinformation table 155. Control section 11 has the function of aninspection record creating section that creates a legal report byextracting details corresponding to items (the number of inspections,and the number of detected leak points) of the inspection record formatfrom the results of inspection (details of inspection and details ofdetected leak points) of the production facility, stored ininspection-related information table 154, and copying the details to theinspection record format.

With inspection support apparatus 1 according to the above-describedsecond modification, a time that is taken to create a legal report, orthe like, is shortened, so the efficiency of inspection is increasedaccordingly.

In the above-described second modification, a legal report is used as anexample of an inspection record; however, the inspection record is notlimited thereto. For example, an inspection report in which inspectionsituation information indicating a gas leak inspection situation isrecorded or a repair report in which repair situation informationindicating a gas leak repair situation is recorded may be used. Controlsection 11 is able to create these inspection reports, as well as alegal report, by extracting details corresponding to the items of aninspection record format from inspection results (including repairresults) of a production facility, stored in inspection-relatedinformation table 154, and copying the details to the inspection recordformat. A time that is taken to create an inspection report, and thelike, is shortened, so the efficiency of inspection is increased.

An inspection report in which inspection situation informationindicating a gas leak inspection situation is recorded may be displayedin map on producer terminal 2 except in document or in list form. For areport on a repair situation, when a repair expiration date isapproaching in a situation in which repair has not been made, a producermay be notified or an alarm such as highlighting, such as blinking, maybe output in map. An example of the case of map display will bedescribed. A producer inputs identification information (ID) and apassword to producer terminal 2 and connects to (logs into) inspectionsupport apparatus 1. When the producer issues a request for inspectionsituation information to inspection support apparatus 1, control section11 of inspection support apparatus 1 extracts the production facilityinformation of the producer, corresponding to the ID, from theproduction facility information stored in database 150 of storagesection 15. As displayed in map, the map is able to display inspectionand repair situations for each region by selecting a site, for eachproduction facility by selecting a facility, and for each piece ofequipment (component) in a production facility by selecting a piece ofequipment. Control section 11 may acquire a map corresponding to theposition of a production facility requested to be displayed fromdatabase 150 and display the production facility on the acquired map ina superimposed manner as, for example, an icon. Control section 11 mayacquire requested inspection information of a production facility frominspection-related information table 154 of database 150 and display anicon by coloring according to an inspection situation and a repairsituation.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of an inspection report displayed inmap. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, a facility from which a gas leakhas been found but repaired is displayed by green (indicated by verticalstripe hatching in FIG. 8), a facility from which a gas leak has beenfound and not repaired is displayed by red (indicated by horizontalstripe hatching in FIG. 8), and a facility that has been inspected andfrom which no gas leak has been found is displayed by gray (gridhatching in FIG. 8). A facility of which a repair expiration date isapproaching is displayed with highlight.

Control section 11 performs zoom display or reduced display through amouse operation or a pinch operation, or the like, on a display screen.When a facility highlighted on the map (the facility surrounded by theblue frame in FIG. 8) is displayed in a magnified view by controlsection 11, a repair situation is displayed equipment (component) byequipment (component). FIG. 9 shows a plurality of pieces of equipmentdisplayed in a magnified view on a display screen. FIG. 9 also shows “A”input to the facility item, and “A1111” input to the equipment item.When “A1111” is input to the equipment item, a gas leak and repaircondition on the equipment “A1111” is listed separately and output (notshown).

Third Modification

Inspection time (inspection interval) of a production facility isdetermined by the law, and inspection omission needs to be prevented.When an inspection is actually performed, a sufficient preparationperiod is needed for a producer side or an inspector side. Therefore,for a producer side and, in addition, for an inspector side as well,inspection time is desirably informed at appropriate timing. Then,inspection support apparatus 1 may have the function of being able toautomatically make an inspection plan. As a section of informing thatinspection time is near, a producer may be directly informed (e-mail ormail) or information may be displayed on producer terminal 2. Wheninformation is displayed on producer terminal 2, a production facilityis displayed by icon, or the like, on the map shown in FIG. 8, and, forexample, a facility of which inspection time is near may be displayed byred and the other facilities may be displayed by blue. In this case, aprocess in producer terminal 2 is similar to the case in which theprocess of displaying a map on the above-described producer terminal 2.

Next, inspection support apparatus 1 according to the third modificationwill be described. In the third modification, a process forautomatically making an inspection plan will be described.

Control section 11, for example, extracts inspection time (future) fromproduction facility information stored in production facilityinformation table 151 every certain period (one day, one week, onemonth).

Control section 11 has the function of a determination section thatdetermines whether it is time when an inspection of a productionfacility is required. Control section 11 compares an inspection due datewith a present date and determines whether it is shorter than or equalto a predetermined period. When it is shorter than or equal to thepredetermined period, notification that inspection time is near isprovided to a producer. Time to provide notification is, for example,one month before inspection time (future) that is an inspection duedate.

Control section 11 selects an inspector candidate that satisfies acondition that inspection time (future) coincides with availableinspection time from among inspector candidate information table 152 asan inspector. Control section 11 executes control for outputting aproduction facility that is a subject of inspection and inspection time(a specific date and time and a specific period may be designated).

The production facility and the inspection time are provided to theselected inspector candidate. When the inspector receives an order foran inspection of the production facility, an inspection plan containingthe production facility, the inspection time, and the selected inspectorcandidate is provided to the producer.

Next, a process for automatically making an inspection plan will bedescribed. Description will be made with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10is a flowchart showing an example of a process for automatically makingan inspection plan. The flow is automatically started each time apredetermined time (one day, one week, one month) elapses.

Initially, in step S300. control section 11 acquires inspection time(future) from the production facility information stored in productionfacility information table 151. Inspection time (future) is determinedin advance for each production facility or each piece of equipment in aproduction facility, and those pieces of information are stored inproduction facility information table 151.

Subsequently, in step S310, control section 11 determines whether it istime when an inspection of the production facility is required. As aresult of the determination, when it is time when an inspection of theproduction facility is required (YES in step S310), the process proceedsto step S320. When it is not time when an inspection of the productionfacility is required (NO in step S310), the process proceeds to stepS360.

In step S320, control section 11 acquires the inspector candidateinformation stored in inspector candidate information table 152.

Subsequently, in step S330, control section 11 determines whetherinspection time (future) coincides with available inspection time fromamong inspector candidate information table 152. As a result of thedetermination, when inspection time (future) coincides with availableinspection time (YES in step S330), the process proceeds to step S340.On the other hand, when inspection time (future) does not coincide withavailable inspection time (NO in step S330), the process proceeds tostep S350.

In step S340, control section 11 executes control to output inspectiontime. After that, the process in FIG. 10 ends.

In step S350, control section 11 executes control to output that noinspector candidate is selected for an inspector of the productionfacility. After that, the process in FIG. 10 ends.

Subsequently, in step S360, control section 11 determines whether thereis the next production facility. As a result of the determination, whenthere is the next production facility (YES in step S360), the processreturns to the upstream of step S300. On the other hand, when there isno next production facility (NO in step S360), the process in FIG. 10ends.

With inspection support apparatus 1 according to the above-describedthird modification, an inspection plan for a production facility isautomatically made at time at which an inspection of the productionfacility is required, so an inspection of the production facility isreliably performed without omission.

As described in the above embodiment and modifications, by saving,managing, and processing information on production facilities,information on inspectors, and information on inspection results byinspection support apparatus 1, various services are provided toproducers and inspectors. Other than the above-described services, forexample, position information of various equipment arrangements, and thelike, of production facilities are output and provided from database 150to producers.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, a gas orpetroleum-related production facility is used as an example of a subjectto which the present invention is applied; however, the subject is notlimited thereto and may be, for example, a production facility otherthan a gas or petroleum-related production facility.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-202999, filedOct. 29, 2018 including the specification, drawings and abstract isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The above-described embodiment is just an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, and the technical scope of the present inventionshould not be interpreted restrictively by the embodiment. In otherwords, the present invention may be modified in various forms withoutdeparting from its purport and its major characteristics.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 Inspection support apparatus-   2 Producer terminal-   3 Inspector candidate terminal-   4 Camera-   11, 21, 31 Control section-   12, 22, 32 Operating section-   13, 23, 33 Display section-   14, 24, 34 Communication section-   15, 25, 35 Storage section-   100 Inspection support system-   150 Database-   151 Production facility information table-   152 Inspector candidate information table-   153 Producer information table-   154 Inspection-related information table-   200 Gas monitoring system

1.-21. (canceled)
 22. A management method for inspection information oninspection of a gas or petroleum-related production facility, themanagement method comprising: receiving input of an operation to issue abrowsing request to browse the inspection information from a producer;reading out the stored inspection information and position informationof the production facility based on the browsing request for theproduction facility that is a subject of browsing; generating a displayimage indicating the inspection information and the production facilitybased on the position information on a map of an area containing theproduction facility that is the subject of browsing; and outputting thedisplay image.
 23. The management method for inspection informationaccording to claim 22, wherein the inspection information contains atleast one of whether there is a gas leak, whether a gas leak has beenrepaired, and information on an inspection due date.
 24. The managementmethod for inspection information according to claim 23, wherein thedisplay image indicates the inspection information by changing a displaymode according to the inspection information.
 25. The management methodfor inspection information according to claim 24, wherein the displayimage indicates the inspection information by coloring according to theinspection information.
 26. The management method for inspectioninformation according to claim 24, wherein, when a period to aninspection due date of the production facility is shorter than or equalto a predetermined period, the display image highlights the productionfacility.
 27. The management method for inspection information accordingto claim 23, wherein the display image indicates the production facilityby an icon.
 28. The management method for inspection informationaccording to claim 22, further comprising: receiving designation inputto designate a size of a display region of the map in the display image;and generating the display image based on the designation input, whereinwhen the designated size of the display region is greater than apredetermined magnification, a display image indicating the productionfacility component by component in the production facility is generated.29. A management apparatus for inspection information on inspection of agas or petroleum-related production facility, the management apparatuscomprising: a hardware processor receiving a browsing request to browsethe inspection information from a producer, reading out the storedinspection information and position information of the productionfacility based on the browsing request for the production facility thatis a subject of browsing, generating a display image indicating theinspection information and the production facility based on the positioninformation on a map of an area containing the production facility thatis the subject of browsing, and outputting the display image.
 30. Themanagement apparatus for inspection information according to claim 29,wherein the inspection information contains at least one of whetherthere is a gas leak, whether a gas leak has been repaired, andinformation on an inspection due date.
 31. The management apparatus forinspection information according to claim 30, wherein the hardwareprocessor generates the display image indicating the inspectioninformation by changing a display mode according to the inspectioninformation.
 32. The management apparatus for inspection informationaccording to claim 31, wherein the hardware processor generates thedisplay image indicating the inspection information by coloringaccording to the inspection information.
 33. The management apparatusfor inspection information according to claim 31, wherein the hardwareprocessor, when a period to an inspection due date of the productionfacility is shorter than or equal to a predetermined period, generatesthe display image highlighting the production facility.
 34. Themanagement apparatus for inspection information according to claim 30,wherein the hardware processor generates the display image indicatingthe production facility by an icon.
 35. The management apparatus forinspection information according to claim 29, wherein the hardwareprocessor receives designation input to designate a size of a displayregion of the map in the display image, generates the display imagebased on the designation input, and, when the designated size of thedisplay region is greater than a predetermined magnification, generatesa display image indicating the production facility component bycomponent in the production facility.
 36. A management system forinspection information on inspection of a gas or petroleum-relatedproduction facility, the management system comprising: a memory storingthe inspection information on inspection of a plurality of theproduction facilities that are subjects of inspection, and positioninformation of the production facilities; the management apparatus ofclaim 29, connected to the memory; and a terminal including: anoperation input section receiving a browsing request to browse theinspection information from a producer; and a display displaying thedisplay image output from the management apparatus.
 37. The managementsystem for inspection information according to claim 36, wherein thehardware processor of the management apparatus authenticates aconnection request from the producer, and reads out the inspectioninformation and position information of the production facilityassociated with the producer for the browsing request from theauthenticated producer.
 38. The management system for inspectioninformation according to claim 36, wherein the inspection informationcontains at least one of whether there is a gas leak, whether a gas leakhas been repaired, and information on an inspection due date.
 39. Themanagement system for inspection information according to claim 38,wherein the hardware processor generates the display image indicatingthe inspection information by changing a display mode according to theinspection information.
 40. The management system for inspectioninformation according to claim 39, wherein the hardware processorgenerates the display image indicating the inspection information bycoloring according to the inspection information.
 41. The managementsystem for inspection information according to claim 38, wherein thehardware processor generates the display image indicating the productionfacility by an icon.